Fate Owed Us One
by Trey Miller
Summary: -Up for adoption- YATTA Yet Another Time Travel Attempt fic Fate is indebted to Harry Potter. Harry just wanted a chance to give himself much needed advice and support. Fate allowed it. -Author Retired-
1. Introducing: A guy having a bad day

**Harry Potter: Fate Owed Us One**  
Fanfic by: _Trey Miller_

**Disclaimer:** If you recognize something in here, it's more than likely owned by JKR. Some of the ideas within this story come from some I've read; some are also semi-original (IOW, not seen often).

**AN**: Apparently, it only takes one can of Budweiser to relax me enough for my muses to visit. That said, I'm not exactly expecting them back any time soon, but if they show, well, we'll see where this story goes. It falls under the YATTA (Yet Another Time Travel Attempt) fics category, for those who want to know.

Basic premise is that Fate owes Mistah Potter quite a lot. And the only thing he wanted was a chance to give advice and help that he sure could have used the first time around. Rather than, as everyone else seems to love doing, throwing the temporally challenged HP into the past back before his first year or in his fourth, I chose his second. I've got some ideas as to why, also. And if I do continue this, I'll show those reasons.

**Chapter One:** Introducing: A guy having a bad day

Harry turned from the cave-in while Ron berated the obliviated Lockhart. His youthful face that had been marred by worry went blank for a moment before the mask fell away. His eyes, which had only seconds earlier shown with innocence and fear, now glowed bright emerald with a fury and power that few had ever seen. Harry absently called back to Ron telling him that he was going on ahead with the old childish voice before he began walking deeper into the cavern.

He waved his hand over his body, cleaning it of the dirt and grime while he hissed at the large door, "_Open!_" and he strode in calmly. He slid his wand into an unconsciously conjured holster and cracked his knuckles. He snapped his fingers and, with a flare of magic, every torch in the cavern lit and burned pure white, illuminating the room of all its mysteries and dark corners.

Seeing Ginny Weasley laying on the damp ground he waved his hand toward her and then back toward the door, levitating her back there where he transfigured the rocks into a soft bed while drying her clothes and warming her and the bed up. All of this, he did while looking toward the rather Buddah-esque statue supposedly of Salazar Slythern.

"She won't wake up, you know."

Harry's eye's slowly tracked over to where a slightly older boy stood dressed in a Hogwarts uniform. He took in the slightly different styles of robes and the Slytherin crest and he blinked. "Tom Marvolo Riddle, I presume?"

Tom nodded, surprise written on his face.

Harry stared at him for a moment and then nodded, "Well? I'm waiting for your pet."

"But- what? Who? Uh," Tom gaped at him before he shook himself and looked at Harry shrewdly, "You're Harry Potter, aren't you?"

"In a sense, yes." Harry shrugged.

"You're the boy who killed my older self?" Tom asked, his voice cracking from stress.

"I am."

Tom called for Salazar's pet Basilisk which came as called and hissed angrily at Harry at Tom. Harry just looked at it for a moment and then very lazily raised his right hand in front of him and beckoned. The Basilisk lunged at Harry with a hiss and opened it's jaws to bite the boy in half.

And then stopped as two hands grabbed its gaping maw, slammed it shut, tearing the tendons and straining the muscles in the thousand-plus-year-old snake's jaw and slammed its jaw into the ground so that it was eye level with the emerald eyed boy.

Harry looked it dead in the eye and snarled, "Now see here! I've had a long day and I don't want any more lip from you. I've had to show that my latest DADA teacher was a fraud, then drag him and one of the most petty idiots I know down into this chamber! Then I almost get brained by a bloody cave-in, walk in here, find said petty idiots younger sister sprawled out here bespelled by that thing over there!" At this he points at Tom Riddle, who is still standing there, and then jabs his finger right at the Basilisk again.

"Then we stand here for several bleedin' minutes; him not believing that I killed him! Then you get called out here and you try to kill me with your sight and eat me! I'm not not in a good mood, I'm tired, hungry, and really, really annoyed, and guess what? You're dead!" Harry raised a his hand and a large, battle-ready sword appeared in his grasp before he twirled it and jammed it through the roof of the snakes mouth, right between the eyes. He grabbed the crosspiece and twisted it, making sure the snake was dead before he pulled it out, stalked over to Tom Riddle, summoning the future Dark Lord's diary to him.

Tom looked at Harry in confusion and horror. "Who are you?!"

Harry glared at him. "I'm Harry Potter. Past, present, and future." He tossed the diary at Tom's chest and then he jabbed the sword through the diary and through Riddle's heart. Riddle stared at him blankly before he dissolved, the diary vibrating harshly before it combusted.

With a last look around, Harry let his sword dissipate before he summoned Ginny to his arms and began walking back toward the cave-in. As he walked, his eyes dimmed and the dirt and grime that had been vanished reappeared. Harry stopped for a moment and closed his eyes.

'Is that all the help you're going to give me?'

For a moment there was silence within before his own voice, but older responded within his mind, '_For this matter, yes. I've merged into your body so you'll not have to worry about me ever actually leaving you._'

'Things went differently the first time around, didn't they?'

'_To an extent. Ginny was still saved and Tom and the snake still died. But last time, I almost died, and later, things went from bad to worse._'

Harry opened his eyes and began walking again. 'So are you going to help me with homework?'

A chuckle, '_I'll give you the advice I wish I'd been given, and I'll help you with some things. But truth be told, you're best friends with the smartest witch Hogwarts has seen since our mother._'

Harry reached the cave-in just in time for Fawkes to fly through an opening and land nearby. 'We're going to change a lot of things, aren't we?'

He got an even greater laugh from his older mental self. '_We'll see. Grab Fawkes' tail feathers and he'll fly us out of this so that we can pick up the extra baggage._'

Five minutes later, and after Ron had clubbed Gilderoy Lockhart across the back of the skull with a rock, they were flying up the slide, Ron holding Lockhart and Harry holding Ginny. Harry poked his older self, mentally, "Hey, what're we going to do about the Dursley's?'

'_Well...the ministry and Dumbledore only monitor for wand-magic, so... I'll allow you to use your imagination._'

Harry grinned. The rest of his time in Hogwarts was about to get a whole lot wilder.


	2. In which Harry educates Fate

**AN:** Not much I'll say other than that I'm more just putting down stuff that flows. Okay, so the ending of this chappie needs a bit more work, but I'm not certain how I'd do it, and I'm not going to take the time to fight it out. That's normally how I end up dropping stories for months and years on end.

**Chapter 2:** In which Harry educates Fate

He was eighteen when he finally killed Tom Riddle.

He was twenty-three when he accepted the teaching position of Defense.

He was twenty-six when he asked her to marry him.

He was twenty-nine when his first son was born.

Thirty when the twins were born.

He was thirty five when they were killed in the nuclear blast that wiped out Diagon Alley and everything within five miles of it.

He was thirty six when he flew on the back of a Hungarian Horntail and single handedly kept Hogwarts from falling until all of the students could escape.

He was thirty seven when he sacrificed his magic, his body, and his life to save the children from another nuclear blast.

He lay, sprawled out along the wooden bench, ignoring all else other than his heartbeat and the same questions that flashed through his mind repeatedly.

Could I have changed this with more guidance? Could I have saved more peoples lives by acting faster?

"Potter, Harry."

He blinked and sat up, looking around the room before his eyes landed on a nondescript older woman carrying a clipboard.

She looked back at him. "Are you Harry Potter?"

He nodded.

"Well, come on then, Mr. Potter. You're next."

Harry stood and followed her down the hallway to a single door that a brass name plate that appeared to be blurred to his eyes. The woman rapped twice on the door and then opened it, motioning for Harry to enter. After he did, she shut the door, leaving him within a well lit room.

There was a large desk in the middle of the room with plenty of paperwork in folders, stapled, clipped, and just strewn about the top. Harry noted that the desk also had a brass name plate with a blurred name. Behind the desk was a large chair facing him.

Sitting there, watching him over a pair of wire-framed glasses was a young woman who (if Harry were to guess) wasn't much older than his own self. She motioned toward a chain and Harry calmly sat down. She looked at the folder in front of her for a moment and then back at him and frowned.

"Mr. Potter, it appears that we have what is commonly referred to as a situational fubar. Now, that being said, we are willing to work with you, providing you with an upgrade to a better vista, or even, if it is your pleasure, a rush for a reincarnation. Which would you prefer?"

Harry blinked once. He blinked again. He opened his mouth and shut it twice before he finally found his voice again.

"I'm sorry, what?"

The woman before his sighed, "Mr. Potter, Harry- may I call you Harry?" He nodded, "Good. As I was saying, Harry, due to a mix-up in records dating as far back as your great grandfather Godric Gryffindor, things have happened that should not have happened. What makes this situation worse is that the error was not discovered until about your second year. At which time, it was too late to change anything before and we've been scrambling to provide you with more of everything."

Harry scowled. "Okay, now that we've got that part cleared up, who the heck are you?"

The woman blinked, surprised. "You don't know?"

Harry shook his head.

"But you arrived here- Only those with an intent to see- I- ..." she faded off in shock. "My name is Anastasia Fate, otherwise known as the current Lady Fate."

"Fate. As in the sister of Death, twin sister of Destiny?" She nodded.

They sat in silence, staring at each other for all of five minutes before Harry nodded. "Alright, I believe you. But I've got a third option, and you're going to give it to me."

"A third option? But that would go against the laws..." She stopped at the look on Harry's face.

Harry stood up and leaned across the desk, his face inches from her own. His emerald eyes burning into her own blue eyes. He whispered, "My entire life, I've had to live by the laws. I lived by the law of the Dursley's and was abused. I lived by the law of the wizarding society and was their savior and pariah on alternating Wednesdays. I lived by the law of the world and suffered the death of my wife and children at the tactless hands of the paranoid bastards in charge of holding World War Three. I don't give a care about the laws."

He sat back down and folded one leg, resting his clasped hands on it. "Here's how I see it... You. Owe. Me."

Lady Fate sighed and nodded. "Okay Harry, whatever you want. I'll do everything in my power to give it to you."

"You say you first noticed the problem in my second year?" Fate nodded. "Send me back there, then. Let me give my younger self the advice someone should have given me back then. I'll even be nice enough as to change things so that the outcome is different."

She stared at him for a moment before nodding and snapping her fingers. "Done." He blinked.

It was an instantaneous transition. One second, he's sitting there with Fate herself, the next, he's watching Gilderoy Lockhart prattle on about their first object lesson. He stayed quiet, watching as the Pixies were let loose, and Lockhart ran, and a smile slowly appeared.

It was time to change things.

'_Hello Harry._'

Harry blinked and looked around, wondering where the voice had come from.

'_You're hearing me in your mind. Just think a question and I'll answer it._'

Harry concentrated hard, 'Who are you?'

A pause, '_I'm you. But I've came back here because Fate owed us one. I'm here to give you advice when you need it._'

'Tell me something only I'd know.'

'_You used to write with you left hand until Dudley broke your arm in three places. Before it was even completely healed, he broke it twice more._'

Harry didn't respond until that evening when he was in bed. 'You're here to help me? Why?'

'_Because unlike what Dumbledore believes, it is urgent that you know everything there is to know about why Voldemort is after you, and how to defend yourself properly. ...Not only that, but I'm here to help you with things that our father should help you with, were he alive._' The older Harry chuckled in his mind, '_Now go to sleep. You've got a busy year ahead of you._'

With that, the bond between the young Harry, and the older Harry that now resided within him began to build.

In the Headmasters office, Fawkes looked at the Sorting Hat and trilled softly. The Hat did its own rendition of a bow in return. "Yes, my friend. Things are finally looking up. Harry Potter will most assuredly need us in the coming years."

Fawkes trilled another note in agreement.


	3. Cogs of Time, meet of Harry Potter

**AN:** I was severely amused by the daydream that produced this, though I couldn't use all of the thoughts quite yet. Patience, my pretties. chuckle If you're wondering why I seem to change temporal directions on a whim, well... several reasons:  
One, I'm not trying to do a day by day chronicle of The-Boy-Who-Lived-With-The-Boy-Who-Lived-In-His-Mind.  
Two, the muses don't want me to.  
And three, I don't know what the next idea will be, so I write it as I see it.

Now, you'll notice that Ronald is...well, for lack of a better term, being told to basically bugger off. I have nothing against Ron. It's just that this is the way this story is going. So for those who want to see the 'Golden Trio' well, sorry. Stick around if you wanna be entertained in other ways.

**Chapter 3:** Cogs of Time, meet of Harry Potter  


This was their third year at Hogwarts, the second day back, and Ron was beginning to get the feeling that he was missing something big. During the time since Harry had been found in Diagon Alley after having turned his muggle aunt into a balloon, Ron had noticed that Harry had changed.

At first, it was simple things that he noticed. Like Harry distracting Mrs. Weasley while the twins set up a prank. Then there was all that reading that Harry had began doing! It had gotten where it wasn't unusual to see Harry with a paperback book in his back pocket or his hand. Of course, Harry was still interested in Quidditch, and they'd both drooled at the Firebolt in the window, but Ron could tell that Harry was changing.

It was a change that Ron wasn't sure he liked, because it was taking the his best mate and turning him into... into another Hermione! Oh, and of course, Hermione loved the change!

"So, wha'd'ya think Harry's doing, Hermione?" asked Ron from his seat at the window looking down at the form of his friend down by the lake. He received no answer so he turned around, "Hermione?! Bloody hell, go get something decent on!"

Hermione had walked down the stairs from the girls dorm, a towel draped over her shoulder. But that wasn't what caused Ron to react. It was the fact that she was wearing a pair of slightly baggy pants and a sleeveless tee-shirt.

She snorted and shook her head, "Honestly Ronald, Harry is out there doing his morning exercises. Exercises that I plan to join him in if he doesn't mind." She looked down at her clothes and then glared at the red-head, "And for your information, this is perfectly acceptable for exercising in."

She turned and walked out through the portrait hole and Ron could hear the Fat Lady complaining. He turned back to the window and sighed, shaking his head. "Bloody nutters, both of 'em..." He shrugged and headed on down to breakfast.

Harry stood near the lake in a pair of loose pants and shirt, his eyes closed as he moved fluidly through a series of repeating movements.

'_Now, for this next part, spread your feet a little bit wider than shoulder distance and place your hands in front of you, just below your ribs. Let them float there with your fingers almost touching, pointed in- oh, it looks like we've got company. Now slowly, let your form relax._' Harry let the form that his older self was instructing him on relax and he looked over to see Hermione standing there, almost bouncing in place.

He grinned, "Good morning, Hermione! Pleasant weather, isn't it?"

She suddenly looked nervous and hesitantly stepped forward, "Harry, would you please teach me?"

"You know what I'm doing?"

Hermione nodded and put her towel beside his own. "I used to do Yoga before I came to Hogwarts and at the place I was taking lessons in, they also taught Tai Chi."

Harry smiled and nodded, "I'd be honored to teach you."

The older Harry smiled as he watched through his younger self's eyes. Things were already different. First off, there had been that letter he (as in the combined Harry Potter) he'd sent to Sirius. Then there was the inquisition to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement about getting a copy of Sirius Black's court transcript.

Of course, the differences shrunk when it came to the train ride and Harry's first meet'n'greet with the Dementors. He had explained to his younger self that, in the sake of keeping at least the vast majority of what he knew of the future accurate, he would not tell all of the futures secrets. Thus, both Harry's had suffered through the contact, thus allowing him the future opportunity to speak with Remus Lupin.

And now, his counterpart was changing something that should have been done far before his first time: physical exercise and mental discipline. He focused back on the outside world and watched for the next hour as Harry walked Hermione through the basics of Tai Chi before they went back in and took a quick shower.

While Harry was dressing for breakfast and the rest of the day, he felt the gentle mental nudge of his older self followed by a chuckle, '_Why Harry, I never knew you to be such a good teacher._' After having spent almost a full year together, Harry's attitude and sense of humor had adjusted from that of a literal innocent boy to the young man that he was.

'What can I say? I had a good teacher, and I've surpassed him.'

'_Aye, that yeh did, lad. That yeh did._' Harry recognized the accent used as similar to the Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody from his older self's memories that he had shared. '_Anyway, best not keep the pretty young ladies waiting all day for you._'

Harry's face turned bright red as his thoughts went back to his bushy haired friend, and he hurried down the stairs, while attempting to mentally break a baseball bat over his future counterpart's metaphysical head.


	4. I am retired

I have retired. Please see my profile for more information.

~Trey


End file.
